Comedy TV Series: Summer 2012

In this Hub, I discuss the upcoming Comedy TV Shows that will premiere in the summer of 2012. Information you'll find will concern the plot of the show, the actors that are in it and other shows you might know them from. When available, I have included a preview for them, plus my thoughts on the shows. As always, you'll find a list of Do's and Don'ts at the bottom.

If you're more interested in other genres or comedy series that will premiere in the fall of 2012:

Anger Management (FX)

Charlie Sheen makes his TV comeback in ‘Anger Management’, premiering on June 28th at 9/8c on FX, after getting fired from CBS’s ‘Two and a Half Men’ in March 2011. The show is loosely based on the 2003 movie of the same name starring Jack Nicholson. Sheen will co-produce the show with his brother Ramon Estevez. In ‘Anger Management’, Sheen will take on the role Nicholson has in the movie; an unconventional therapist who treats people with anger management issues. Sometimes, though, it seems like he needs the therapy more than his patients do, because his friends and family immensely complicate his life.

As FX is only advertising with Charlie Sheen and not releasing any additional information or trailers concerning the show itself, this is pretty much all I can tell you. Something that does stand out, however, is the name of the lead character, Charlie Goodson. Apparently, Charlie Sheen has damaged his brain so much with alcohol and drugs that he can’t imagine having another first name anymore.

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Men at Work (TBS)

TBS’s new comedy ‘Men at Work’ premieres on May 24th at 10/9c with back-to-back episodes. The show follows Milo (Danny Masterson, ‘That 70’s Show’), a recently dumped guy who tries to re-enter the dating scene. Milo and his three friends and co-workers stand by each other in relationships, their friendship and their jobs at a magazine. Milo’s three friends and co-workers are Gibbs (James Lesure, ‘Las Vegas’), Neal (Adam Busch, ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’) and Tyler (Michael Cassidy, ‘The O.C.’).

In contrast to what the beginning of the trailer tries to convey, to me it seems like ‘Men at Work’ is one of those shows that are a dime a dozen. However, when the humor is there, that doesn’t have to be a problem right away. That’ll give the show some time to make people like the characters so much that they’ll keep watching. This is one of those shows that could go either way.

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Sullivan and Son (TBS)

Co-produced by Vince Vaughn (‘Wedding Crashers’) and co-written by Rob Long (‘Cheers’), ‘Sullivan and Son’ premieres on TBS on July 19th. The first season consists of 10 episodes and, set in Pittsburgh, the show will be “very much a love letter to Pittsburgh people”, according to the president of TBS.

Center of the series will be Steve Sullivan, a corporate attorney in New York City. His parents are Jack (Dan Lauria, ‘Independence Day’) and Ok Cha (Jodi Long, ‘Miss Match’), from Irish and Korean descent, respectively. They own a popular local bar in Pittsburgh, but when Steve visits them, they are preparing to sell the bar and retire. To everyone’s surprise, Steve decides to stay in Pittsburgh and take over his parents’ bar.

TBS has not released a trailer for ‘Sullivan and Son’, and there are also only a couple of pictures available. From that, it is impossible to give an opinion, but I’ll update this page as soon as a trailer comes out.

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Baby Daddy (ABC Family)

On June 20th, ABC Family’s newest multi-camera sitcom will premiere at 8:30/7:30c. According to the network, the pilot of ‘Baby Daddy’ their highest testing sitcom pilot ever. The premise of the show is very similar to FOX’s ‘Raising Hope’, as it follows a young man who suddenly has to take care of his baby. His ex-girlfriend leaves the baby at his doorstep and he decides to raise the child with the help of his mother, brother and friends.

Baby Daddy’ stars Jean-Luc Bilodeau (‘Kyle XY’) as Ben, the baby’s father, Melissa Peterman (‘Reba’) as Ben’s mother, and Derek Theler (‘90210’) as his brother. Then, there are the roommate (Tahj Mowry, ‘Smart Guy’) and the girl next door (Chelsea Kane, ‘Dancing With The Stars’), who secretly has a crush on Ben.From the trailer, the concept of the show seems a bit stale. However if it is funny, who cares? Of course, that is a little hard to judge from only 30 seconds.

Comments

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Lisa McKnight 5 years agofrom London

Great hub, very entertaining and good to know what is going on with "man comedy" - now there is an oxymoron!

Author

Robin Oatley 5 years ago

Hi Pandula,

You are welcome. I like it myself to know what to expect from upcoming TV series, and I enjoy sharing this knowledge.

Dr Pandula 5 years agofrom Norway

Thanks for sharing this info. Good to know about the upcoming series...voted up!

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Robin Oatley 5 years ago

Hi Marty,

You're right, Men at Work has some similarities with Men of a Certain Age. They both revolve around men with dating problems and who need to get their life back on track. Men of a Certain Age worked for two seasons, maybe Men at Work can top that?

Martyv25 5 years ago

Another great hub Robin, I'm looking forward to seeing what Sheen brings to Anger Management, he will do very well to have another hit like Two and a Half Men, he is pretty much the only guy I can remember to go out of TV on a massive drugs blow and come out smelling of roses.

The show Men at Work is one I probably won't watch but reading and looking at it, the show reminds me a little of Ray Romano's Men of a Cartain Age.

Melanie Chisnall 5 years agofrom Cape Town, South Africa

Maybe, we'll have to wait and see - looking forward to it though :)

Author

Robin Oatley 5 years ago

I think Kutcher doesn't really fit in Two and a Half Men, Sheen did, however. Maybe Anger Management and Sheen fit together too.

Thanks for reading!

Melanie Chisnall 5 years agofrom Cape Town, South Africa

Ashton Kutcher is great on screen in Two and a Half Men, but I've missed what Charlie Sheen brings to the screen. Looking forward to Anger Management! :)

Author

Robin Oatley 5 years ago

You're probably right! Though I hope he is able to manage his anger off-screen all right!

Thanks for reading and commenting!

Efficient Admin 5 years agofrom Charlotte, NC

I guess Charlie Sheen is the right character for a show called Anger Management. LOL